How to use the Advanced DNS Editor in cPanel.

A website has many resource records assigned to it. These are used to identify specific locations within the server for different services. For example, when you log into your mail, you can use the URL webmail.yourdomainname.com. The server looks for the DNS record associated with webmail.yourdomainname.com and knows to send you to the Webmail login area. Other records are for use with mail clients or databases. Others can be used for dividing your website into different areas or used to help validate emails or prevent spam.

DNS records come in a variety of different types. The Basic DNS Editor only allows you to create two types, A and CNAME. You also cannot override or edit any existing records that were generated upon account creation. The Advanced DNS Editor allows you to create A, CNAME, and TXT. It also allows you to override any default records, or those that were generated upon account creation. Follow along below to learn how to access and create records using the Advanced DNS Editor.

Using the Advanced DNS Editor in cPanel

Scroll down to the Domains category and find the Advanced DNS Editor icon. Click that to enter the editor.

Select the domain you will be working with from the Select A Domain dropdown menu. In this example, we selected inmotiontesting.com

Go to the Add a Record section and fill out the fields for your desired record.

Name

Name your record. Be sure that it ends with your domain name and a period. Ex: record.inmotiontesting.com.

TTL

Time To Live. The record will exist on DNS servers around the world for this fixed amount of time. After it expires, they will need to recontact the server to reset the record. This is set in seconds, so 14400 is 4 hours, which is a good standard. Setting the TTL too low can have an adverse effect on the server.

Type

Choose from the dropdown. There are A records, CNAMEs, and TXT records.

Address

The server address that the record refers to. It can be set as an IP address, a domain name, or a subdomain. TXT records will be set as text set within quotes.

Once you have completed entering all information for your record, click on the Add Record button just under the data entry fields.

Congratulations! You have just created a DNS record with the Advanced DNS Editor. If necessary, you may edit existing records. Find the record in the list at the bottom of the screen. The left hand side of each row has a Delete and Edit link for the respective record.

This was very helpful, but honestly useless for those looking to make sense of the overall picture. If we make sense and are educated upon 'exactly' how a DNS server works, people will have less trouble trying to figure out how it works & what it is used for.

At the moment, we are all simply following these awesome tutorials step by step, but in the END, no one really knows what they are DOING.

We have to understand the context, before we can make use or sense of what DNS is used for and how it works.

Overall, awesome tutorial - just not very informative with the context (but that is to save time most likely)

Thank you for the feedback! Although we are looking into adding more content for DNS records, there are books out there on DNS that are hundreds and hundreds of pages thick on the subject. This shows it is a very deep subject and one we could never completely cover. We do agree though that some articles with the basic record types and what they mean will certainly help in the more immediate future, so keep an eye out for those.

Setting up the DNS is a IMPORTANT planning step. Esp if you use a re-seller account. My biggest problem is as a web designer, I like flowcharts and diagrams on how the entire process works. It really help me understand the underlying context and how the cogs work so to speak.

For example, I have purchased a 'Reseller Pkg' from you. I have been working the past two days to get the server setup to transfer my entire workshop / freelancing bus over to InMotion.

Simply put, when you have your 'custom name server setup'. After we install a new ACCOUNT using WHM, we can login to the cpanel or (clients backend Cpanel)

**Note: Cpanel Bug** - If you create an account and delete it; we are not capable of using that same username for the clients CPANEL and have to keep coming up with something unique..which can be a daunting task if trying to keep everything simple for the client to use his website. (minor problem nonetheless, but very aggravating)**

Once the new CPANEL account is created / installed under the root server. The nameservers will automatically update IF the primary name server is already configured.

For example: I signed up for www.example.com as my domain & InMotion Hosting as my authoritative Domain and hosting provider.

Once my account has been setup, I had to go back in and edit the DNS settings to develop a 'hearty' plan for my future endeavors. Last thing I want is to be changing my name servers with 100's clients underneath me..

So I followed the tutorials more than once & also have done lots of research upon the web for interest in learning more about the complexities of how a DNS exactly works.

After the 'primary name server' is set, i go back in to create a new CPANEL account for a new client named: www.example2.com.

1. The primary nameservers would be: ns1.example.com & ns2.example.com (main hosting re-seller account) and this primary NS would point to my hosting account on InMotion.

2. The new nameservers for www.example2.com would be ? ns1.example.example2.com & ns2.example.example2.com ?? (All of this is edited in CPANEL DNS Zone Settings for the account that was created?)

If the above example and methodology is correct, what happens after these are set up? I do know more about how the DNS works now by watching some educational videos, but when I log into FTP server with the ROOT (www.example.com), I do not understand where these files would go for this website without creating a new folder? Normally, after the domain has been added or created, a folder is auto created. (That is how my other domain hosting provider worked anyhow)

At the moment, my website eventreference.org sends me to a new hosting place, but I have no clue where exactly this hosting place would be at via the root folder / public_html / (primary domain) /

I have checked through the entire FTP archive / including the hidden files to try and make sense on how this works on InMotion Hosting. If I have to create a new folder in a higher directory(www.example2.com) above (www.example.com); do I need to add a CNAME to ID the folder?

When pointing the new domains to your nameservers, they will all use the same ones. For example, any shared accounts with use ns.inmotionhosting.com and ns2.inmotionhosting.com as the name servers. Any domains on my personal server use ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com. They do not have to use ns1.domain.example.com or any other format. These should all be assigned within the server based on the name servers you assigned. They may need to be adjusted at the registrar, however.

The document root of a domain is not set by the nameserver or DNS records. It is set within the WHM itself. By default, all cPanel account primary domain names use public_html as their document root. Addon domains to a cPanel account will have a folder under public_html with the domain name (public_html/example.com). The document roots can be set when creating addon domains for personal preference.

Name
Name your record. Be sure that it ends with your domain name and a period. Ex:record.inmotiontesting.com.Q: If it has to start with "record." please say so. Do i use the current domain or the new one i'm trying to add? I assume the latter?
TTL

Time To Live. The record will exist on DNS servers around the world for this fixed amount of time. After it expires, they will need to recontact the server to reset the record. This is set in seconds, so 14400 is 4 hours, which is a good standard. Setting the TTL too low can have an adverse effect on the server.

Q: First i thought this had to do with how long it takes to add the new domain, but it sounds like this is forever, how long from now on the DNS servers of the world wait from now on to recheck? If it won't change much, couldn't this be a day or two?

Type

Choose from the dropdown. There are A records, CNAMEs, and TXT records.

Q: What is the difference and why would i choose each one? Since i got here from instructions telling me to add an A record i'll just choose that, but a very short explanation might help? I was like "what are these other ones then?"

Address

The server address that the record refers to. It can be set as an IP address, a domain name, or a subdomain. TXT records will be set as text set within quotes.

Q: What address DOES the record refer to? You tell me! Is this the IP of one of your nameservers? Sorry i'm sure it's obvious i don't know much! i guess that's why this is the "Advanced" editor, but the simple one was just as baffling! Showing my ignorance but thanks for your help.

For your first question the TTL can be set to any number you like but it does not change how often your DNS is checked from outside servers as they tend to update every 4-24 hours. As for your second question A records are pointed to IP addresses, CNAMES are pointed to other domains or subdomains. TXT records are used for adding information to your domains DNS, such as Google Webmaster Tools uses it to confirm you own the domain name. And lastly for your third question, the A record would be an IP you decide from for what ever you are trying to do. Commonly people will host their mail with us but host their website elsewhere. For this they would point their main A record to the IP of another server. Also do not worry about it as DNS is fairly difficult topic to cover.

Hi, some o365 instructions i've found talk about alias or host name being blank, @ or host name. Can you clarify this in relation to your instructions? https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Create-DNS-records-for-Office-365-at-any-DNS-hosting-provider-7B7B075D-79F9-4E37-8A9E-FB60C1D95166?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US#BKMK_verify
Tim